Thieves accused of stealing thousands in jewelry from Buckhead home

ATLANTA - A Buckhead woman said some clever thieves disarmed her alarm in less than 30 seconds before the police were called, and then stole thousands in jewelry.

Catherine Carrigan said detectives told her the burglars, who hit her Buckhead home, were not amateurs.

"The thieves had cut the wires to the alarm system," Carrigan told Channel 2's Craig Lucie.

The thieves knew exactly where her alarm control panel was and which wires to cut, she said.

The thieves packed up nearly $11,000 in gold and diamond rings, along with Carrigan's electronics.

"The thieves stole two televisions, a DVD player and all the rings from my jewelry box," Carrigan said.

This is the latest in a series of Buckhead break-ins in which burglars are going high-tech.

Channel 2 Action News reported last month how thieves cut out the window panes of a home on Woodward Way off of Peachtree Battle and stole thousands of dollars' worth of fine silver while the owners were sleeping.

Similar attempted break-ins were reported on the same street.

"I made the mistake of thinking because I had paid for an alarm system that my house was totally protected," Carrigan explained.

She said other homeowners can learn from this burglary.

"The alarm company said as a consumer, you are supposed to test your alarm yourself every month," Carrigan said.